Chapter 14: Debate

[STATISTICS]

[AUTHORITY LEVEL: Commoners (435/1500 XP)]

[STRENGTH: D (10/1500 XP)]

[COUNTRY: Small Village (Money: 0/10,000, Villagers: 5/25)]

[SUPPORT: (Public: 95/100(%), Politics: 0/100(%))]

"You want to kill me even though I'm the one who saved you?" Darren asked casually before Luna finally pulled the knife away from his neck.

The footsteps approaching made her quickly tuck the knife back into her pocket. She knew people would easily misunderstand if they saw her threatening someone with it.

Especially since Luna wasn't in the best condition, her body was weak, and it would be troublesome if she caused another ruckus that could put her at a disadvantage.

"Oh, you're awake?" Evan approached, closely observing Luna, who was half-sitting up. The girl forced herself to sit, glancing around in search of her younger siblings. "They're in the forest, eating apples. There are a lot of them in there."

"She doesn't seem interested in hearing any of our explanations, Evan. Let's continue our previous discussion." Evan sat back down beside Darren, both of them turning their backs to Luna, who was still trying to find a way into the forest where her siblings were.

"For our current situation, I think it's better if we start by making bows. We saw some deer, right? That could feed us for a while. While producing the bows, we can also sell them in the city. If they all sell, we can return with sacks of salt to preserve food. We'll also need some barrels to store drinking water. Wheat flour or bread would be great, so we can eat better. The rest can be used to buy clothes." Darren gave instructions, slowly starting to adapt to his new responsibilities of ensuring everyone in the community lived comfortably.

"I think making bows and arrows is just as important as cutting the roof. Which one do you think we should prioritize? I strongly suggest we focus on bow-making first, boss. In my opinion, we can hire a few people from the city to come live here and build homes for all of us," Evan offered a suggestion that was news to Darren.

He could recruit others to become part of the community. If he could bring more people in, that meant he could also bring Luna and her three siblings into the fold.

"How many can we produce per day?" Darren asked.

"Maybe one bow per person per day. As for arrows, each person could probably make twenty," Evan explained.

"Did you just move here?" That weak voice spoke again. Both men turned to look at Luna, who had spoken with her pale lips.

"More like we were forced to live here after being dumped in this place," Darren replied. He stood up and took one of the water containers made from coconut shells, offering it to the woman so she could drink. "Drink. There's no poison."

Luna took the water and drank it slowly. Darren returned to his seat, this time sitting facing both Evan and Luna—an unspoken invitation for her to join their discussion.

"Boss, how much are we aiming to produce? Would fifty bows and five hundred arrows be enough? We could finish in two weeks," Evan said.

Producing that many didn't seem quite right to Darren. Right now, they urgently needed important supplies—paper, salt, and water barrels, all of which would be vital for survival here.

"No. I suggest making just ten bows and one hundred arrows. We could finish production in just three days," Darren replied, moving his fingers as if calculating something in his head.

For example, if they sold ten bows, they'd get around one hundred fifty silver coins. Add one hundred arrows, and they might gain another fifty silver coins. The total would be about two hundred silver coins.

Fifty of those would probably be spent on travel, food, water, and market fees. That would still be enough to buy some supplies and bring people in to help with bow and arrow production in the area.

"We might earn less money, but we can convince more people to come and work with us," Darren gave his instructions, confident that this approach would allow them to gradually earn money. "We should start production after we cut the wood. Since we have to wait for it to dry before building the roofs, let's make bows for hunting and selling in the meantime."

"Are you planning to sell me and my siblings too?" Luna suddenly asked amid their discussion about their first business plan. Darren immediately turned, shocked by her question, especially after he'd risked his life to save her and her siblings.

"Do we look like the kind of people who would sell you and your siblings?" Darren asked, a little annoyed.

"Men have all sorts of tricks to exploit women," Luna accused, prompting Darren to scoff.

"If that's what you think, then it's truly unfortunate—we're not those kinds of people," Darren replied.

"Miss, I think it would be better if—" Evan tried to intervene, but Darren quickly cut him off.

"Evan, shut it. Let me deal with this loudmouth," Darren ordered, keeping Evan from interfering. He was already too irritated with Luna's stubborn accusations.

"Loudmouth? How dare you!" Luna snapped, furious at being mocked by Darren to her face.

Even though she wasn't strong, she badly wanted to teach this rude man a lesson. Luna knew she might owe them her life, but she couldn't stand being belittled by the man she suspected to be their leader.

"No one ever knows when you'll start taking advantage of my innocent sisters. They're still minors, and seducing underage girls is grooming!" Darren laughed at her raised voice. 

So, she was strong enough to yell and scold people now?

"I told you I'm just helping you. Even if you want to return to Mierre-Park, it's fine. You want to ride the carriage back to the city? Fine, I'll allow it," Darren replied, still struggling to contain his anger after being accused of such things.

"Who would even want to live in a place like this? It's just flatlands stretching for dozens of kilometers—unusable. Want to sell goods? You'll have to work hard to reach Mierre-Park, riding for two days. Narima Beach? I bet you'll be on the road for three days from here. Why are you all forcing yourselves to stay here?" Evan left to call Luna's siblings, who were still in the forest. He was sure they were the only ones who could calm Luna down.

"Alright. If that's what you think, then we'll take you to Mierre-Park like you want. I'm optimistic about building something here, but if you want to go, I'll personally take you to the city with the horse-drawn carriage," Darren concluded the argument. The sun was getting hotter. He knew they needed to go into the forest to escape the heat.

"Sis!" Rhea's voice rang out just as Darren finished speaking. The little girl ran up with a big smile, holding three apples in her small hands. "I got apples!"

Luna smiled in relief, and Darren realized that all along, she just wanted to see her siblings safe. They were her motivation for entering this game in the first place.

But wait—wasn't Luna supposed to forget everything upon returning to this world? Darren thought suddenly.

So why could Luna still remember her siblings?